A Happy Birthday
by AsterDragElf
Summary: Ever since his parents died, Kai had always hated his birthday. It only brought back painful memories, memories that wouldn't stop haunting him. Kai wanted to get over it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. Could that change? Could this birthday be any different?
1. What day is it?

**Okay, first thing I want to say is go easy on me! I'm new here and I'm trying to write good stories, so please, please, go easy on me! Reviews are appreciated :) Now on to the story!**

** A Happy Birthday**

** Part 1: What day is it?**

**{\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\}**

"_Happy Birthday, Toshiki!" his parents said, each holding a present._

_"Thanks Mom, Dad," said a boy with brown hair and striking green eyes._

_"This one's from me," his dad said, presenting a present wrapped in blue wrapping. Toshiki took it from his dad with a smile and ripped open his present. He looked at it with wonder. It was a black deck holder, and it had cards inside!_

_"Well, go on," his mom beckoned him with her warm smile. "Take it out."_

_Toshiki took out the cards and looked at them. They're Vanguard cards! he thought with excitement. He already had his own, they were Royal Paladins. But this one was different. The top card was not a knight, but a dragon._

_"Kagero?" Toshiki looked at the clan's name._

_"Do you like it?" his dad asked. "I know it's not the clan you use, but I remembered how much you loved dragons."_

_"Thanks Daddy. I love them," Toshiki said with a smile as he held the deck closer._

_"Your welcome," his dad said, relieved that his son liked it._

_"Toshiki, could you close your eyes for a moment?" his mom asked. Toshiki, slightly confused, closed his eyes. He felt his mom place something around his neck._

_Toshiki opened his eyes and looked at his chest. There was a red diamond hanging from a gold string around his neck. Toshiki blinked. "Is this real!?"_

_His mother smiled. "I wanted to give you that when you would turn thirteen, but I felt something special about today. Yes sweetie, it's real."_

_Toshiki had never been happier. He ran to his mom and gave her a hug. "Thanks so much, Mom! I'll keep it forever!" Kai said, hugging his mom tighter. His mom hugged him back._

_"Hey, how come the dad doesn't get a hug?" his dad said folding his arms in false anger._

_Toshiki jumped on his dad, wrapping his hands around his neck. "I was taught that women must always come first!" Toshiki joked, making all of them laugh._

_"Oh, I can't believe you're already ten!" his mom exclaimed, joining the hug. She was close to tears._

_"Mooom!" Toshiki whined, clearly embarrassed. But he hugged her back._

_"Now," his dad said after the hug was over, "how about you open your other presents?"_

_"There's more?!" Toshiki could hardly believing it._

_"Why, of course! You know how your mom is when she is shopping," his dad said with a smile._

_"There were on sale!" his mom protested, making him laugh. "You won't be joking when you see what we got for you," she said, reaching for another present. Toshiki smiled, I have the best parents in the whole world, he thought_.

"Kai."

_"A skateboard?!"_

"Kai?"

_"Now, you better wear your helmet or your mom may take it away!"_

"Hey, Kai?"

_"Men!"_

_"Hehe, what's wrong with men, Mom?"_

"Wake up, Kai!"

_"Everything!" They all laughed._

"KAI! WAKE UP!"

**{\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\}**

"KAI! WAKE UP!" Kai jumped awake. He turned to the person who screamed his name. It was Miwa.

"KAI! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! Miwa yelled, his hands grasping Kai's shoulders. Kai didn't know what was going on. He was sitting on his bench in the park. _W-was that a dream? _thought Kai, trying to comprehend what happened.

"ANSWER ME!" Miwa roughly shook Kai's shoulders.

"I-I... I'm not... I don't... " Kai trailed off stuttering. He was confused and startled by Miwa's screaming. Miwa noticed this and calmed down. He let go of Kai's shoulders and sat beside him.

"Sorry about that," Miwa said with an apologetic smile, "but you scared me. You weren't waking up." Kai could only nod. _I must have really startled him,_ Miwa thought grimly.

"So, what happened?" Miwa asked in a lighter tone.

"N-nothing!" Kai answered a little too quickly and sounded scared even to himself. He just didn't want to talk about his parents. Kai unconsciously took off his necklace and played with the diamond. _It _was _a dream,_ Kai thought, barely aware that Miwa was watching him.

"Something is obviously wrong," Miwa insisted. He knew there was. Kai's hands were shaking and, was it just Miwa's imagination, or did his eyes look watery? Miwa had never seen Kai cry, so he dismissed the thought.

"Why are you here, Miwa?" Kai quickly changed the subject.

"Kai, you didn't-"

"I'm fine, Miwa. It's nothing," Kai interrupted him. He appreciated Miwa's concern but he wasn't ready to talk just yet. Kai needed time to cool down.

Miwa frowned worriedly, but he eventually sighed. "Alright, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here." Kai nodded, grateful that Miwa dropped it.

"So, why are you here?" Kai repeated his question.

"Oh, I was going to ask if you wanted to go to CardCapital?" Miwa asked, sporting his usual, carefree smile.

Kai thought for a moment. "Sure, I'll come."

"Alright then! Come on!" Miwa said, happy that Kai agreed. He grabbed Kai's arm, startling him, and practically dragged him to CardCapital.

** {At CardCapital}**

"Misaki-san? Have you seen Miwa-kun?" Aichi asked Misaki, stopping in the middle of their battle. Miwa said he'd hang out with them, but he wasn't there.

"No, I haven't seen him," Misaki answered, also curious where he was.

"Maybe he forgot?" Izaki suggested. Before they could say anything else, the door opened.

"Hey, guys!" Miwa greeted them. After dragging Kai in the store, he finally let go of his arm. Kai gave Miwa an annoyed look. He preferred to walk slowly, rather than being shoved and dragged for about ten minutes! Miwa patted Kai on the back with a grin, completely ignoring his best friend's annoyance.

"Miwa-kun, Kai-kun, it's good to see you," Aichi said.

"Where have you been, Miwa-senpai?" Kamui asked.

"Well, you could probably guess how hard it was to get Kai to come here," Miwa joked as he and Kai came up to the others and sat by the table.

"I didn't even think it was possible," Kamui laughed. Kai rolled his eyes.

"Oi, guys! Let's play Truth or Dare!" Morikawa announced.

"Eh! Morikawa-kun?" Aichi asked confused.

"Why not?" Izaki asked.

"I'm in," Miwa said. "What about you, Kai?"

Everyone turned to Kai, waiting for his answer. Kai sighed, "Fine."

Morikawa asked Aichi if he thinks Grade 3s are the best. Aichi stuttered, saying they were powerful. Kamui dared Izaki to convince Morikawa that Grade 3s aren't the best. Now, it was Misaki's turn. "Miwa? Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"How did you and Kai become friends?" Misaki asked. That got Kai's attention. He inwardly groaned, _This is going to be embarrassing. _

"Hey, that's a good one!" Morikawa said, wondering how on earth Miwa is friends with Kai.

"Well, it's a kind of a long story," Miwa said.

"We've got the time," said Kamui. "Besides, you can't back out."

"Alright," Miwa said. "We met at school, at around the age of eight. Now, let's just say that our school wasn't the best. I used to get bullied all the time, until Kai came."

** {Flashback in Miwa's POV}**

_"Listen up, pipsqueak! Give us your money, and we'll leave you alone!"_

_I was being ganged up on by a bunch of bullies from the fourth grade class. They wanted me to give them money, but..._

_"I-I don't have any money!" I said, extremely scared._

_"Well, then you better get some money, and you better have it by lunch!" a boy called Naki said. He was around the same age as me, though his height and attitude made him seem like a teenager. Whenever he beats someone up, he always left a carving of a skull where he did it. When people saw this, they never stayed in a place that had a marking of a skull. Naki not only led every bully gang in the school, but he also was popular with the girls._

_Finally, they all left, after they beat me up. I was on the ground, hurt and my cheek stung. I curled up into a ball and begun to cry. I stayed like that, until someone came up to me and asked gently..._

_"Hey, are you alright?" I looked up to see a boy about my age. He was referring to my swelling cheek. I quickly stood up and rubbed my tears away, embarrassed._

_"I'm fine," I mumbled sadly._

_The boy smiled, as he reached into his backpack. "Hang on. I've got something that may help." I just stood there, wondering why someone I don't even know was helping me. The boy pulled out a water bottle and a cloth. He poured the water on the cloth. After he squeezed out the water, he handed me the wet cloth._

_"Here," the boy said with a smile. "This should slow down the swelling." I hesitantly took it and held it to my cheek._

_"Thank you," I said, still slightly confused. I was about to ask him what his name was, when the school bell rang. I'm going to be late! I thought._

_"I have to get to class," I told him as I ran to my classroom, not even waiting for a response. When I got there, the teacher and all my other classmates were already there. My teacher began questioning me why I was late. I wasn't sure what to say._

_"Um, I-"_

_"Sorry I'm late!" A voice called from behind me, interrupting me, though I was grateful. I was shocked to find the boy from before, with a sheepish smile. He then noticed me too._

_"Oh, hey again!" the boy's face lit up. "Are you in my class? That's great!"_

_"Are you the new student?" the teacher asked with a hint of distaste. When the boy nodded, the teacher said stoically, "Please introduce yourself."_

_The boy turned toward the class and spoke, "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Toshiki Kai." No one said anything. The teacher then told Kai to take a seat behind mine. As we took our seats, Kai asked me, "Hey, why is everyone so gloomy and serious?" _Our class started, so I couldn't answer him. Not that I knew what to say. I couldn't just go and say- _"Our teachers are mean, and boring. There rules are strict and unfair. And they don't care if someone gets bullied. Oh, did I mention they __don't allow us to do ANYTHING except have lunch and work?"-__because if I did, I'd get in trouble._

_Throughout the day, everyone watched Kai, wondering when he'd stop smiling and realize that there was nothing to be happy about. So far, Kai hadn't changed._

_Our school had only one cafeteria, but it was huge. And had plenty of room for all the kids in the school. I usually always chose an unoccupied table in a corner. As I sat down and placed my lunch box on the table, I was hit with a shocking realization that I had forgotten all about my encounter with the bullies._

_"I don't have any money!" I exclaimed in horror. I began to look around, hoping to spot the bullies before they spotted me. Unfortunately, I saw them coming this way! I got up from my seat, and began to run. I heard the bullies' yells and looked behind me to see them following! I dodged past tables and students, trying to reach the exit. I was just about to escape when someone tackled me to the ground. We both rolled away from the door. I stood up and discovered that the person who tackled me was Naki! I felt a shiver run down my spine. I heard the rest of the bullies behind me. I knew I was in for it now._

_Naki stood up and dusted himself off. He strode towards me. Naki stopped a few inches away from me. I gulped, frozen to the spot. It didn't help that the entire cafeteria silenced themselves and turned their attention towards us._

_"Don't even think about doing that again," Naki said with a dangerous smirk. "Now, I believe you have something to give me."_

_"I-I f-forgot!" I shook as I spoke. Naki stopped smirking and looked ready to explode. He lifted me up by my shirt and was about to punch me. I shut my eyes, waiting for it._

_SPLAT!_

_My eyes shot open, only to find Naki hadn't done anything. He wasn't even looking at me. I followed his eyes and saw a boy sitting by a table. His face was covered with white cream and there were pieces of pie on his head._

_"Who did that?!" he yelled in aggravation as he wiped the cream from his face. No one answered. The cafeteria was silent. Then it came again._

_SPLAT!_

_This time it was a girl. She was sitting with a bunch of other girls. Her hair was covered with spaghetti and her clothes were stained with red sauce. The girl turned to a girl on her left and screamed, "SHINA! Why did you do that?!" Shina looked offended._

_"I didn't do it, Akiye!" she insisted. Akiye didn't listen. She grabbed her bowl of ramen and threw it at Shina. Shina managed to duck, but the ramen hit a girl behind her. The girl yelped in surprise. Noodles were all over her pink dress._

_"I'm sorry, Hachi!"_

_"This was a brand new dress!" Hachi grabbed her own plate and threw it at Akiye. Her aim was off though, and it hit another girl. The girl shrieked. One after another, girls began to throw food at each other, screaming._

_"I used my whole allowance on that dress!"_

_"You ruined my hair, Chise!"_

_"This is all your fault, Shina!"_

_"I told you I didn't do it, Akiye!"_

_"That hurt, Eriko!"_

_"Eww! What is this?!"_

_"Ow! Watch it!"_

_We all watched, not knowing what to do. Naki even let go of me, but I was too preoccupied to notice. Then, there was a shriek from another table. Everyone saw a girl dripping with red liquid, which I assumed was juice. Even the girls stopped fighting. What is going on? I asked myself. That's when I spotted Kai sneaking around the tables unnoticed. He couldn't be the one who-_

_"I know one of you boys did this!" the girl covered in juice yelled, pulling me away from my thoughts. All the other girls glared at the boys. The boys protested, but it only angered the girl._

_"If you won't fess up, I'll just throw food at all of you!" she grabbed her plate and threw it at one of the boys._

_"You're asking for it!" the boy yelled as he threw a food back at her. Two other girls from her table started throwing food back at the boy. The boy's friends jumped in and started throwing their food at the girls. Others started to get interested. Even some of the bullies left me and joined in._

_Suddenly, Kai jumped on one of the tables, getting everyone's attention. He had a plate of food in each hand. His smile was so big, that I knew it was him who did all this. He threw the plate in his left hand at the girl with the pink dress causing her to scream. Kai then took a huge breath and yelled at the top of his lungs..._

_"FOOD FIGHT!"_

_He threw his other plate at Naki, which started an on-going chain of flying food. Naki, smirking, grabbed a huge piece of cake from a nearby table and hurled it at Kai, hitting him square in the face. But to my surprise, Kai didn't look affected at all. In fact, he licked the icing from his face, and grabbed a two-liter soda bottle and smirked right back at Naki. He shook the bottle, then turned it towards Naki, and opened it. Soda sprayed all over Naki, ruining his look._

_I couldn't believe it. Did Kai even know that Naki was two times bigger than him? He seemed to have noticed it because once the bottle was empty, he ran passed Naki, dodging flying food. Naki looked shocked. He must not be use to people fighting back, I thought, but then noted that this wasn't the time to be thinking. The fight started moving toward me. I had to start ducking and running, but I still got hit by cupcakes, ramen, juice, and just about everything else._

_I spotted the table where I was sitting before and hid behind it. I thought that I didn't want to be in this fight, so I just watched. Everyone was scattered all over, throwing food from behind tables. I saw Shina, Akiye, and Hachi throwing food at some boys. I saw some of the bullies helping the fourth grade class throw food at the older kids. But what I was really looking for was Kai. I wondered why he did this._

_"For fun maybe," I mumbled to myself. I spotted Kai running towards the table where Akiye, Shina, and Hachi were. I couldn't hear what he was saying but it looked like he was apologizing to them. They seemed to accept his apology. Then Kai began to whisper to them about something, the girls smiled and nodded their. Then Akiye stood up and called the other girls._

_"Chise, Eriko!" Akiye called getting the other girls attention. They were each behind their own table with a bunch of other girls from grades second to eighth._

_"Want to team up?" Akiye asked. "Girls against boys?"_

_The girls seemed to like the idea and the boys had no complaints. I saw Naki and the rest of the boys team up._

_"Hey!" Naki called to Kai. "Get your classmates and let's fight already!" Kai nodded and ran over to me. Oh no! I thought._

_"Hey, are you coming or what?" Kai held out his hand. "By the way, I never found out your name." I didn't think I could get out of this. Everyone was waiting and it started to look like fun. So I took Kai's hand._

_"My name's Miwa," I said, smiling as Kai and I ran over to the boys table. We all grabbed a plate of food and got ready._

_"FOOD FIGHT!" everyone yelled. It was more chaotic than before. Food was flying everywhere, kids were screaming, and I actually enjoyed it. It went on for what seemed like forever until we heard a whistle. It was our teachers. All of them._

_"Who started this?!" one of them yelled. No one answered. We all knew it was Kai but no one wanted to get him in trouble. Not even Naki, he stayed silent like everyone else._

_"CLEAN UP THIS MESS! ALL OF YOU!" our teachers yelled. Everyone groaned. We began picking up food from the ground and scrubbing the tables. Even though it was a lot of work, everyone chatted about the food fight. I saw Naki walking up to Kai and me._

_"Pretty cool idea, kid," Naki said with his usual smirk. "Got a name?"_

_"Toshiki Kai."_

_"Naki __Kimura__." they shook hands. Then Naki looked at me. I gulped, thinking he was going to beat me up._

_"Is this kid your friend?" Naki asked Kai. Kai nodded._

_"Alright. If you guys can convince the teachers to let us have more fun, I'll let you go," Naki told us. He then left. I looked at Kai._

_"So, we're friends?" I asked him._

_"Want to be?" Kai offered. I smiled and nodded._

_"How are going to convince our teachers to let us have fun?" I asked._

_"Don't worry, we'll do it," Kai said with a reassuring smile. And that's just what we did. Kai spoke up to the teachers, saying they should be more nice and let us have fun. He was backed up by all the other kids as well. Soon, all the teachers were nice and actually fun! Eventually, everyone started liking Kai, even the teachers._

** {End of Flashback}**

"So that's what happened," Miwa said with a smile. Everyone gaped at Kai. They just couldn't believe Kai used to be like that. Kai was avoiding their stares. _I'm going to kill him! _he thought as he felt himself blush.

"S-so, Kai really did all that?" Misaki asked, not able to believe it. Everyone else felt the same way. Miwa nodded. Everyone stared at Kai. Kai couldn't take it anymore.

"It happened a long time ago, alright?" Kai said with a hint of annoyance. Miwa snickered. He could tell Kai was embarrassed.

"O-okay. Miwa-kun, it's your turn," Aichi said, still shocked by the story. Miwa nodded.

"Kai. Truth or Dare?" Miwa asked, still smiling. Kai thought about it. He didn't want to say Truth after what just happened. Then again, if he said Dare, Miwa would probably make him do something unbearable.

"Truth," Kai chose.

"Tell me where you got that," Miwa pointed to Kai's necklace.

Kai touched his necklace. He had forgotten to tuck it in his shirt. _No harm in telling them, I guess,_ Kai thought as his hand unconsciously played with the diamond on his necklace. It was a habit that he usually did when he's uncomfortable. And at the moment he was. Kai didn't like telling people anything about himself. It bothered him.

"I got it on my birthday," Kai reluctantly answered.

"You got it on your birth-"

Miwa stopped mid-sentence as he realized something. He looked a little upset. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kai looked confused. "I didn't think a necklace would-"

"You know what I'm talking about, and it's not your necklace!" Miwa interrupted him.

"Miwa, I really don't know what you're talking about," Kai said, honestly confused. Miwa blinked.

"You know today is Thursday, right?" Miwa asked slowly.

"Yes?"

"Kai, it's-"

"I don't mean to kick you out," Shin interrupted him, "but the store is about to close." Everyone looked outside and saw the sun had nearly set.

"What?!" Kamui yelled, "It's that late already?!"

"Guess that was a long story," Izaki said.

Kai stood up and turned to Miwa. "You can tell me some other time," Kai said and then left. Everyone was about to leave too when Miwa stopped them.

"Hey, guys?" Miwa called, with a sneaky smile. "Can you help me with something?"

**{At Kai's House}**

"I'm home!" Kai said as he shut the door. He was barely able to take two steps before being knocked to the ground. His eyes met two black, excited ones. It was a brown dog.

"Hey, Blitz," Kai said before his face got covered with his dog's slobbery licks. He had found him starving in an alley years ago with his parents and begged to have him. Kai's parents agreed to let him keep Blitz until he got better. But the dog grew on all of them, so they decided to keep him for good. Blitz is a pretty smart dog. He knows how to find his way home and can understand exactly what Kai would tell him. Kai could actually let Blitz walk around town all by himself, but people would always get scared. Blitz is actually half wolf. In fact, some people have mistaken him to be a wolf, unless he's with someone. So, Kai let's him play in his backyard until he comes home.

Kai wiped away the slobber and patted Blitz before standing up and dusting himself off. He walked into the kitchen with Blitz tailing him. Blitz ran to his dog-dish and began barking. Kai smiled as he opened a cabinet and grabbed a bag of dog food. He poured it in the dish and watched Blitz scarf down his food.

"I guess it is past your dinner time," Kai said in amusement. He sat on a chair beside Blitz and spaced out.

** {Kai's POV}**

This has been a strange day. First off was that dream. I barely ever dream about my parents unless I get sick, I feel sad or I see something that reminds me of them. Maybe Blitz, I thought as I looked at him. That can't be it. I feel fine around him. So, what is it?

I just remembered how strange Miwa was acting. Why was he acting like that? He mentioned what today was, so maybe I forgot about something special today. No, he would've stopped me if it was today. Could it be tomorrow?

My thoughts were interrupted by Blitz. He had finished his food and began to rub against my leg. I reached down and scratched him behind his ear. I suddenly realized how late it was. I stood up and left the kitchen with Blitz following me. I went upstairs, grabbed a T-shirt and pants, and took a shower.

I came back into his room and saw Blitz asleep on my bed. I smiled and laid down on the other side of the bed. I gently brushed my hand against Blitz's fur.

"Night, Blitz," I said quietly.

I folded my hands behind my head and wondered what was so special about tomorrow. Miwa freaked when I told him that I got my necklace for my birthday. Then he started talking about what day it was. My eyes widened and I shot straight up, startling Blitz awake. I hardly noticed Blitz inched closer to me, and barked, questioning what's wrong. I was too busy mentally berating myself for being so ignorant. It made sense. It was why I had that dream. It was the same day my parents died.

"How could I forget tomorrow is my birthday?"

** {\****~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\}**

**So, how was it? Tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard. (Totally wish I do!)**


	2. Surprises, surprises

**Okay, I messed up on the previous part so there may be slight change to it. Barely noticeable though. Just some grammar mess ups. And just so you don't get confused, I mix the Japanese and English. For example, I make Aichi call Kai, Kai-kun, but I won't switch around the names. Another example, Toshiki Kai instead of Kai Toshiki. In any case, I hope you enjoy the story!**

**A Happy Birthday**

**Part 2: Surprises, surprises.**

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_As the sun set, a woman hummed softly while stirring ingredients in a pot. The scent of spices and chicken filled the kitchen. I hope they'll like this new recipe, the woman thought. Some would call her gorgeous. With her cherry pink hair, her warm smile, her light green eyes, not to mention her taste in fashion, she fits the description quite well._

_"Has the chef made yet another masterpiece?" a teasing voice asked from behind her._

_She turned to the doorway of the kitchen, to discover that the teasing voice was her husband. "Oh, I only hope it can satisfy your wonderfully, _small_ appetite, dear," she teased back in a sarcastic voice. He smiled his stunning smile. The man had smooth, black hair that spiked at the end. He was wearing a gray suit with a blue tie and black pants. The couple was a perfect match. All they needed was a_ child.

_"Hey, Mom, I'm home!"_

_They turned to the owner of the voice. A boy about eleven years old with spiky, brown hair, and emerald green eyes. He was wearing his soccer uniform from school. A white T-shirt with a dark blue collar and dark blue shorts. He was covered in grass stains from head to toe._

_"Hey sweetie, how was your day? I'm assuming the soccer game went well?" she asked, referring to his huge smile._

_The boy nodded. "It was great! You'll never believe what happened!"_

_His dad smiled at his mom."He hasn't even told me yet." Then he turned to his son, "Quickly shower and come down for dinner. Then you can tell us all about it."_

_"Okay!" the boy quickly ran upstairs to shower._

_He came back in ten minutes wearing a purple shirt and light blue pants. He saw his dad and mom talking but couldn't hear them. He couldn't hear anything._

_"Mom? Dad?" the boy felt scared. There was a blinding light. The only thing he could see were his parents. They were speaking to him but he couldn't hear them. He tried to get closer but each step he took, they seemed to move farther away. He tried to reach for them with his hand but the light blinded him. Soon, the boy was all alone._

_"Mom! Daddy!"_

Kai jumped out of his bed with a gasp, his hand outstretched, grasping thin air. Kai sat on his bed, panting. _It was just another dream_, Kai thought, snapping out of his daze. He slowly pulled his hand back and looked at it before he laid back down and turned to his right. He saw sunlight peeking through his blue curtains.

_That must have been the bright light_, Kai thought. He groggily stared at the ceiling, thinking back to last night. It took forever for Kai to fall asleep. He had been thinking that tomorrow was his birthday. Kai always dreaded his birthday. It reminded him of how his parents died.

_They would be alive if it wasn't for me,_ Kai thought miserably, but then shook his head. He didn't want to think about that. Whenever he did, he would practically go mad. Kai would start hyperventilating and then go into this daze where he wouldn't know what was going on or who he was. He wouldn't know anything, only fear. Fear that something had gone totally wrong and that it was his fault.

Kai decided to get out of bed before any of that could happen. He grabbed his school uniform and went to the bathroom.

Kai came back out dressed. His necklace tucked under his shirt. Grabbing his school bag, Kai went downstairs. Kai poured himself a glass of milk and washed an apple. He heard Blitz barking by the door. Kai walked over to the door and found Blitz holding a package in his mouth. There was another package next to him.

Kai frowned as he took the package from Blitz and looked at. It was from Ren and Tetsu. Kai ripped open the package and held a box in blue wrapping paper and a red bow.

"They didn't," Kai muttered, but already knew they did. He opened the box and found an assortment of stuff. There was a light purple book, a picture, a bunch of cards, and a grey scarf.

Kai picked up the grey scarf and looked at it. It was a simple scarf and felt soft to the touch. Kai put it to the side and proceeded to pick up the book. It was a cookbook.

"No doubt from, Ren," Kai said with a slight smile. Ren knew that Kai liked to cook.

Kai picked up the picture. It was a picture of Ren, Tetsu, and Kai when they were kids. Kai smiled at the memory and gently placed the picture next to him. He began examining the cards. Obviously, they were vanguard cards. Narukami and Kagero. Kai was about to open the next package, when he saw that he missed a white note. Kai read it.

Kai! You should've reminded me about your birthday!

I wanted to throw a party! What kind of friend are you?

Anyway, enjoy your presents! Happy birthday! Ren and Tetsu :)

Kai rolled his eyes but he was smiling. He made mental note to thank them later on.

"Ruuuuuuffff!" Blitz nudged Kai with the other package in his mouth. Kai took it and ripped it open. This time it was a plain, black box. Kai took off the lid. The box had a sleeveless black shirt, sleek black pants, a silver bracelet, black ripped gloves, and a note.

Kai took out the pants and shirt. He turned the shirt over and saw a silver dragon design. The pants had the same design on the left sleeve. Kai had to admit that it was nice. The gloves were nice too. It had a silver design from the wrist to the index finger. Kai then grabbed the bracelet.

"This is way too many presents," Kai said, but he was grateful. Every birthday he had, had always brought back memories of his parents. Kai would always get a nostalgic feeling that would sometimes be unbearable.

Kai looked at the bracelet. It was a simple snap-on bracelet, except for the skull shaped as a _K_ in the middle.

Kai frowned. He thought this would be from Miwa, but Miwa would never buy this kind of stuff. Kai picked up the note, hoping to discover who sent all this. But the note was blank, except for a phone number. Kai didn't recognize the number. He turned the note over and found something strange.

Call me when you get this.

Naki Kimura

P.S. If you tell anyone about this, you're DEAD!

"Naki?!" Kai said, incredulously. Kai hadn't seen him since he switched schools. They used to IM each other, but they stopped years ago.

"Even Naki remembered," He sighed. Kai already knew why he forgot it was his birthday. He felt his heart tighten at the memory of his parents. Blitz, sensing Kai's pain, rubbed against Kai's leg in a comforting way. Kai smiled wearily and petted Blitz. He took out his phone and put Naki's number in his contact list. _I'll have to call him later,_ Kai thought.

Kai looked at the time and jumped. "I'm late!" Kai grabbed all his presents and put them on a nearby table. He decided to take the vanguard cards with him. Kai then quickly poured food in Blitz's dish.

There wasn't time to eat, so Kai chugged down his milk, took his apple, and was about to leave when Blitz tackled him. He began to lick Kai's face, ignoring Kai's protests.

"Blitz, I have to go," Kai said, gently pushing him off. Blitz began whimpering. He hated it when Kai left. Kai noticed this and bent down, stroking Blitz's fur. He had a soft spot for this dog and would do anything to make him happy.

"I'll spend the day with you tomorrow, okay?" Kai said, in the hopes of making Blitz happy. It worked. Blitz stopped whimpering. He licked Kai's face and wagged his tail excitedly. Kai smiled, opened the door, and left.

Kai ate his apple as he ran to school._ I should probably buy Blitz steak, _Kai thought._ It's been awhile since he's had it._

Kai finally reached the entrance of his school. He threw his finished apple in a trash bin and ran to his class.

**{\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\}**

Kai took his bag and left the school. He was thinking of going home early when someone called him.

"Hey, Kai!" Miwa called, running up to him. "You want to go to CardCapital again?"

"Okay," Kai agreed.

Miwa smiled, slyly, _This is going to be great! _Kai didn't notice it. His mind wandered back to his parents, just like it always did on his birthday. Kai gripped his necklace. He began to feel sick, remembering how his parents died.

They reached the entrance of CardCapital.

"After you, Kai," Miwa said, still carrying that sly smile. Kai stepped in the store and nearly jumped when he heard everyone shout.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAI!"

Kai widened his eyes at the sight before him. There were red streamers hanging from the wall. Colorful balloons everywhere. But, the thing that stood out the most was his name on the wall. It was written in huge letters that sparkled with glitter. Everyone was there, smiles all over their faces. Miwa stepped up beside Kai, also smiling. Kai wasn't sure what to say.

"When did you guys do all this?" Kai asked, still in disbelief.

"Surprised?" Miwa asked, amused by Kai's shocked face. "We decorated this place last night and we bought the presents early this morning."

"Presents?" Kai asked in a quiet voice. Images of his parents came flooding back to him. He saw his mom give him a Dragonic Overlord. He saw his dad and mom take him to an amusement park. They were holding hands, laughing.

"We each bought you a present," Misaki explained, pulling Kai away from his thoughts. She pointed to a table where there were a bunch of presents sat. Kai nodded, stiffly. _Not now, _Kai thought, feeling his stomach lurch._ Don't think about that now._

"Do you like it, Kai-kun?" Aichi asked, hopefully. Kai swallowed the lump in his throat and forced a small smile. Miwa could tell it was fake.

"Yeah. Everything looks great," Kai said, smiling.

"Alright! Let's start this party already!" Morikawa yelled, impatiently. And so, the party began. They decided to tell funny stories about themselves when they were kids.

"My class one time did a prank on our teacher," Kamui snickered. "We painted a picture of her with a mustache and a clown face and pined it on our wall. When she saw it, she gasped and demanded, _"WHO IS THIS?! IT LOOKS AWFUL!" _

Everyone started to laugh at Kamui's silly impersonation of his teacher. Once they calmed down, Kamui continued. "Everyone in my class tried not to laugh," Kamui said, barely able to contain his own laughter. "But then, our teacher went up to the picture and said _"Hmm. You know, this person _does _look familiar." _and after she left, we were laughing so hard we forgot to breathe!"

Kamui now had tears of laughter coming down his face. Everyone else laughed very hard. Kai even chuckled a little.

"In the food fight, I accidentally threw a fork instead of food at a girl," Miwa said, laughing. "And the girl was like _'EEEEEIIIIIII'_!" Everyone laughed at how high pitched and squeaky he sounded. Miwa saw Kai rolling his eyes at him.

"Oh, like you're one to talk!" Miwa said, folding his arms over his chest. "How about you tell us what _you_ did in that fight?"

Kai smiled a little. "I accidentally threw some ice cream at a girl, making her scream. So I pretended Miwa did it," Kai said, his voice dripping with humor.

"And THEN, I had a bunch of wild girls chasing me all over the place!" Miwa exclaimed to everyone, but then turned to Kai. What he saw shocked everyone.

"Toshiki Kai! You better not be laughing!" Miwa joked, but was actually surprised. Kai's entire body was shaking in laughter until he couldn't hold it anymore. Kai, for the first time in years, laughed.

"Dude! That hurts!" Miwa said, pretending to be offended. In truth, however, he was very happy. Miwa hadn't seen Kai laugh since they were kids. Finally, Kai's laugh subsided.

"And here I thought you didn't know how to laugh," Kamui said with smirk. Kai scoffed.

"It sounds nice," Misaki said, smiling. "You should do it more often."

"Ooooh, is there something going on between you two?" Miwa raised his eyebrows, smirking. Both Kai and Misaki blushed.

"There is nothing going between us!" Misaki quickly explained, her face red. "I just like how his laugh sounded." Realizing what she said, she slapped a hand over her mouth. Everyone's mouth dropped, save Miwa. He was smirking at Kai.

"Did you hear that, Kai?" Miwa nudged him, whistling. "Misaki just loooves how your voice sounds~." Kai just blushed. Misaki hit Miwa on the head, hard.

"That's enough!" Misaki yelled. She turned to everyone else and glared at them. "And if you guys say ANYTHING, I will personally kick you all out!" Everyone gave swift nods, not wanting that to happen. Miwa rubbed his head where he got hit,_ Sheesh! She didn't have to do that._

"How about we cardfight each other?" Aichi suggested, trying to cool things down. They all agreed. Izaki beat Morikawa. Kamui beat Misaki. That left Kai, Aichi, and Miwa. They decided to both battle Kai. Kai fought Miwa first, using his new Kagero cards.

"Okay, now that was overkill!" Miwa tried to look upset but he grinned. Of course Kai had won.

"Now, it's my turn," Aichi said. Aichi used his Gold Paladins and Kai surprised everyone by using a Royal Paladin deck. _What? _Miwa thought.

"Hey, what's the deal with changing your deck!?" Kamui demanded.

"The Royal Paladins were my very first clan," Kai smiled at his old cards. _It feels good to use them again,_ he thought.

"WHAT?!" everyone was shocked to discover this, though Miwa was shocked for a different reason. _I haven't seen him use that since he moved, _Miwa thought. _Why now?_

"You better not hold back, Aichi!" Kai smirked.

"I'll give it my best shot, Kai-kun," Aichi smiled.

They started the battle. Aichi was leading with one damage to Kai's four. However, Kai quickly caught up. Everyone noticed that Kai was extremely deadly with this deck. He used all of their abilities to its fullest potential.

"Kai-kun, you're really strong with that deck!" Aichi complemented his win. Kai smiled.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd be that good," Kamui agreed.

"If you're so good with it, why haven't you used it before?" Misaki asked.

"I just you use it on and off," Kai shrugged. He felt a warm feeling in his body. It was different, at the same time it was familiar. Kai wasn't sure what it was, but he liked it. It felt... right.

"Time for cake!" Miwa placed a red velvet cake in front of Kai. It had sixteen candles "Make a wish!" Kai stared at the cake, lost in thought. He wondered what to wish for. Kai came to the conclusion. He whispered his wish and blew out the candles.

"What did you wish for, Kai-kun?" Aichi asked.

Kai just smiled sadly. "Sorry, Aichi. It's a secret." _I wished for my parents to love me again, _Kai touched his necklace. He didn't notice Miwa watching him.

"I'll cut the cake," Misaki said. She passed out plates, each holding a piece of cake. Morikawa and Kamui stuffed their faces with cake, practically choking. Aichi started to ask them if they were okay. Izaki shook his head at the scene. Kai quietly ate his cake, unaware Miwa was watching him closely. Once they were done, it was time for Kai to open his presents.

"A journal?" Kai held the black book with yellow stars. It came with a black pen.

"Miwa-kun told me you liked to write," Aichi nervously said, hoping it was a good choice.

"It's nice," Kai smiled. Aichi beamed. Kai got Narukami Grade 3s from Morikawa. A red jacket from Kamui. Izaki gave him a black watch. Misaki gave him a blue trench coat. Miwa was last.

Kai opened his last present. It was a big black book with red flames. Kai smiled when he saw the title_Dragons_. _Miwa knows just what I like, _Kai thought.

"Do you like it?" Miwa asked.

Kai nodded. "I'm grateful for what you guys did."

"Don't start getting all mushy on us!" Kamui huffed. Kai smiled.

"Your welcome, Kai-kun," Aichi replied.

"Whoa, look at the time!" Izaki checked his watch. It was getting late. Everyone decided to call it a day. Miwa offered to help Kai take his presents home. Kai agreed. They walked in silence with Kai leading the way.

"You know, this is the first time I'll get to see your house," Miwa broke the silence. Kai was about to answer when they passed by a shop.

"Hey, can you wait out here for a minute?" Kai asked. Miwa nodded, confused. Kai went in the shop and came back out in five minutes. A bag of steak in his hand.

"Who's that for?"

"It's for Blitz." Kai almost forgot about Blitz with all the surprises today.

"Who's Blitz?" Miwa asked.

"He's my... dog."

"You have a dog?!" Miwa nearly dropped the presents he was holding. "Since when?!"

"Since I was six," Kai said. He didn't mean to mention Blitz, it just came out.

"You mean you've been keeping two secrets?!" Miwa almost yelled.

"Two secrets?" Kai repeated, not sure what he meant.

"Don't think I didn't notice." Miwa was now strangely quiet. "You've been acting very strange. It has something to do with your dream, doesn't it?"

Kai sighed. He knew he'd have to tell Miwa sooner or later. "What made you think it has something to do with my dream?"

"I noticed that you fiddled with your necklace back then and that you do it whenever you're uncomfortable," Miwa explained. "Like right now."

Sure enough, Kai was playing with his necklace. He quickly let go of it. Of course Miwa found out. He understood Kai better than anyone.

Soon, they reached Kai's house. "How about I tell you inside?" Kai asked. Miwa seemed skeptical, but agreed. The minute Kai shut the door, he was knocked to the ground.

"Ruuuff!" it was Blitz. He licked Kai's face, excited that he was back. Kai smiled, despite his aching head. He was used to it. Blitz does it every time he comes home. Kai gently pushed Blitz off and stood up. He turned to Miwa who looked like he was about to laugh.

"Is this Blitz?" Miwa pointed to the dog who was rubbing against Kai's leg. Blitz realized that he had a visitor. He cautiously walked up to Miwa and began sniffing his legs. "He doesn't bite, right?" Miwa asked, nervously eyeing the dog.

"Well... he bites almost every new person he meets," Kai scratched the back of his head with a little chuckle. The look on Miwa's face clearly said, _'Get him away from me!'_.

Kai snapped his fingures, getting Blitz's attention. "Here, boy," Kai shook the bag of steak he had in his hand. Blitz ran to Kai and sniffed the bag. Realizing what it was, he barked excitedly.

"Ruuff! Ruuff!" Blitz pushed Kai's leg forward with his head, demanding he cook the steak. Kai obliged.

"Follow me," Kai told Miwa. He led him to the kitchen. Kai cooked the steak and gave it to Blitz who happily ate it.

Kai then led Miwa to his living room and they sat on a coach next to each other. Kai decided it was time to explain. "Do you ever wonder why you've never seen my parents?"

"Sometimes, but what does that-"

"They're dead."

Silence. Miwa was shocked. He didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't that. All Miwa could manage to say was, "Kai..."

"They died on my birthday," Kai continued, the whole time repeating to himself, _Don't cry!_ "That's why I forgot it was today."

"That dream I had was about my parents," Kai blinked back tears. "It's why I've been acting different. That's all." Kai felt exhausted, but he also felt relieved. He'd always kept his feelings bottled up, so it felt good to let them out. Kai suddenly felt Miwa pull him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Kai. I didn't know," Miwa apologized, feeling guilty. Kai couldn't hold it anymore. The pain of his parents not being here hurt too much. He hugged Miwa back, as tears started to fall down his face.

"Th-the wish I m-made was for my parents to love m-me," Kai managed to say through sobs.

Miwa listened to what Kai was saying and felt bad for his friend "But Kai, why wouldn't they love you?" Miwa rubbed his back, comfortingly.

Kai took a shaky breath. "B-because my family h-hates me. Wh-when my uncle was watching o-over me, he always told me th-that I was a b-burden and that it was my f-fault my parents died," Kai could barely say as more tears started to fall.

Miwa's eye's widened. "WHAT?!"

Kai nodded. "The rest of m-my family says the s-same thing. Th-that's why, when I was old enough to live by m-myself, m-my uncle threw me out." Miwa wasn't sure what to say.

"H-he told me that my f-family doesn't want anything to do with me!" Kai cried harder.

Miwa just sat there in shock. He had never known that Kai had went through all of this. Miwa wanted to comfort him, but he wasn't sure how. An idea came to his mind.

"Kai? Do you really think your parents don't love you?" Miwa asked gently.

Kai couldn't answer. After what felt like hours, Kai stopped crying and let go of Miwa. He wiped away his tears, feeling embarrassed that Miwa saw him like this.

"I'm sure your parents were always proud of you, Kai," Miwa smiled. Kai didn't look convinced. Miwa tried something else.

"Picture it."

Kai's eyes widened as everything around him turned white. He looked around, but there was no one. Kai felt a sudden weight on his shoulders. He spun around and was shocked by who it was.

_"Hello, Toshiki," his dad said. His mom stood beside him with a smile. Kai couldn't speak. He couldn't think. He was too shocked to do anything. Kai's mom stepped up to him and caressed his cheek. Kai just stood there, too shocked to do anything._

_"You've grown so much," his mom said, a single tear rolled down her cheek._

_"You're almost my height," his dad placed a hand on his head. Before Kai knew it, he was hugging both of his parents, crying. His parents hugged him back. They stayed like that for awhile until Kai's parents let go. Kai finally found his voice._

_"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry," Kai said, looking down._

_"For what?"_

_"It was my fault that you died. If-if I wasn't around, you-"_

_His mom placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. She gently brushed away the tears that had found its way down his face._

_"Never say that." his dad said, "Our lives wouldn't be complete if you weren't around. We're proud to call you are son." His dad ruffled his hair. Kai started to get that warm feeling he had back at the party. He realized what it was. Happiness. Kai had almost forgotten what it was like to truly be happy._

_"We have to go now, Toshiki," his dad sadly informed him. Kai was about to protest when he felt his mom's hand on his chest._

_"You kept it," his mom held his necklace._

_Kai could barely nod. "I promised I would," Kai managed to choke out. His dad pulled him into a hug._

_"Keep it close. It'll be a symbol of our bond," his dad said, trying to soothe him._

_"You can't leave, Daddy!" Kai yelled, using a word that he hadn't used in years. Kai's mom joined the hug._

_"We'll always be there for you, okay?" his mom planted a kiss on his cheek. Kai hugged them tighter._

_"I love you, Mom, Dad," Kai whispered, his eyes shut._

_"We love you more than anything in the world!" his dad said, his voice cracking._

_"Stay safe, Toshiki!" his mom cried._

"Kai! Are you alright?!"

"Rrruuuufff! Ruuuf!"

**{\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\}**

Kai's eyes snapped open. He was back in his house. Blitz nuzzled Kai, whimpering. Miwa had a hand on his shoulder. Kai realized he had tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Calm down, Kai. You're okay," Miwa whispered to him. When he told Kai to 'picture it' he really didn't think Kai would faint and start crying for his parents.

"Y-yeah," was all Kai could say. He wiped away his tears and clutched his necklace like a life line. Millions of emotions were flowing through his body: longing, sadness, happiness. _I'm... happy, _Kai realized. For some reason, he felt like smiling. He wasn't sure why but that didn't stop him.

Miwa couldn't believe it. _Kai is smiling!?_ Kai does smile but -to Miwa- he never really looked happy. Not like how he used to be. But now, Kai looked like the happiest person in the world.

"Thank you," Kai sincerely said. Miwa couldn't help but gape. Did Kai just say thank you?

"Kai? What happened?" Miwa managed to get over his shock. Kai just smiled.

"I got a visit from my parents," Kai looked at his necklace.

_"Keep it close. It'll be a symbol of our bond."_

_"We'll always be there for you, okay?"_

"...And it all went well?" Miwa knew Kai wouldn't joke about something like this. Kai nodded, still sporting a happy smile. He looked to his left when he felt Blitz nuzzle his shoulder.

"Didn't mean to worry you, boy," Kai brushed his hand over Blitz's fur. Blitz moved closer to the touch, wagging his tail. Miwa smiled. He then looked at his watch.

"Snap! My parents are probably worried sick!" Miwa knew he was going to get it. Kai walked him to the door with Blitz beside him.

"Thanks for trusting me, Kai," Miwa placed a hand on Kai's shoulder in a friendly gesture. Blitz rubbed against Miwa's leg.

"You should come by more," Kai said with a smile. "I think Blitz likes you."

"Ruff! Rrruuff!"

"You're not so bad after all," Miwa patted the dog's head before turning to Kai with a smile "Happy birthday, Kai," Miwa left.

"Yeah," Kai said. He saw his parent's astral forms. They waved to him, smiles on their faces. Kai waved back with his own smile. "It really is a happy birthday."

**The end.**

**Hope you enjoyed it! I decided to add a little KaiSaki in there. Please tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cardfight! Vanguard.**


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